QR codes for retail and packaging brands
Packaging sits in cupboards for years and flyers travel. Codes that can change, and count, keep both working for you.
Retail shops and packaging brands use QR codes on products, flyers and the till. Product codes should be editable, because packs outlive web pages. Flyer codes count their own scans, and a review code at the till asks every customer the same way and can stay fixed and free. Editable codes on your own domain keep printed packs yours.
A pack that keeps up with you
The label is printed once. The page behind its code changes with every new recipe or batch.
Where codes pay off in retail
On the product
Care instructions, refills, recipes or a warranty page. The page changes; the label in the customer's cupboard does not have to.
Around the neighbourhood
Flyers and posters with a code per location show which street or shop window brings people in.
At the till
A small stand by the card reader opens your review form while the customer is still standing at the counter.
Fixed or editable in a shop
-
Fixed QR code (static)
Fixed codes are fine for the review stand and for anything printed for a few days, such as a weekend sale sign. They are free and work without any account.
-
Editable QR code (dynamic) Our pick for this job
Use editable codes on packaging and campaign print: you change destinations at any time, see scans per code and keep the codes on your own subdomain. Starter costs $9 a month and includes 50 editable codes and one custom subdomain.
Worked example: a soap maker with two stockists
- Labels
- Every soap label carries an editable code on go.example.com that opens the ingredient and care page for that bar.
- Flyers
- Spring flyers in the two partner shops each have their own code, and after a month one shop shows four times the scans of the other.
- A new website
- When the shop moves to a new website, the maker updates the label codes in the app in one sitting. Bars already sold still open the right page.
Getting started
List what you print
Labels, boxes, inserts, flyers and the till stand. Decide for each whether the page behind it could ever change.
Set up your domain
Connect a subdomain such as go.yourbrand.com, so every editable code carries your name. It is included from Starter, on passes and in the trial.
Make, proof and print
Create the codes, name them by product or place, and scan the printer's proof on the real material before the run.
Questions and answers
Before you print
- Is it free?
- Fixed codes are free: make as many as you like, download a PNG with no sign-up, and get every other format and print files with a free account. Editable codes come with a plan, a pass, Keep-alive or the 14-day trial.
- Can I change the link after printing?
- Yes, with an editable code. It holds a short link you control, so you can point the printed code somewhere new any time, and the next scan opens the new page. A fixed code keeps the link it was made with.
- Can I use my own domain?
- Yes. A custom domain is included on passes, from Starter, and during the trial. Starter covers one subdomain, for example go.yourbrand.com, and apex domains start on Pro.
- What happens if I stop paying?
- Editable codes work to the end of your paid period, and after a failed payment every code keeps working for 14 days. Turn codes back on within 12 months. Fixed codes keep working as long as their links do.
Do I need a code per product or one for the whole range?
One per product or pack size, if each has its own page. That also tells you which products customers scan most.
Can I put an editable code on products sold through other shops?
Yes. The code works wherever the pack ends up, and you can change its page later without contacting the shops that stock it.
Can I move the codes somewhere else later?
Yes. Export your codes and destinations with ready-made redirect rules and point your own domain at the new place. The printed packs keep working, because the domain on them is yours.
Are fixed codes good enough for flyers?
For a flyer you do not need to measure, yes. To compare flyers or places, each one needs its own editable code that counts scans.
How many editable codes does a small brand need?
Count your products plus your campaign codes. Starter's 50 editable codes cover most small ranges, and Keep-alive keeps up to 15 codes redirecting for $3 a month once campaigns are over.
Print packaging that keeps up with you
Start with one editable code for your best-selling product and check it in the print preview.